Oil re-refining method and apparatus

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the feedstock is recirculated to the evaporation chamber at a higher temperature and a greater flow rate than the original feedstock by way of a recirculation circuit including a pump and a heater.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 2, wherein distillate obtained from the spray condenser is recirculated to the spray condenser by way of a recirculation circuit including a pump and a heater.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 1, wherein distillate obtained from the spray condenser is recirculated to the spray condenser by way of a recirculation circuit including a pump and a heater.

Claim 6

A cyclonic vacuum evaporator provided with temperature and pressure control and comprising a substantially void evaporation chamber, means for injecting feedstock substantially tangentially into said evaporation chamber, and a spray condenser in communication with said evaporation chamber in which a distillate is obtained.

Claim 7

A cyclonic vacuum evaporator provided with temperature and pressure control and comprising a substantially void evaporation chamber, means for injecting feedstock substantially tangentially into said evaporation chamber, and a spray condenser in communication with said evaporation chamber in which a distillate is obtained.

Claim 8

An evaporator as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a feedstock recirculation circuit including a pump and a heater for recirculating the product collected at the bottom of said evaporation chamber back into said evaporating chamber.

Claim 9

An evaporator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the evaporator is provided with a distillate recirculation circuit including a pump and a heater.

Claim 10

An evaporation according to claim 6 wherein said feedstock injected into said evaporator has a first temperature and wherein said heater heats the recirculated product to a temperature higher than the temperature of the original feedstock.

Claim 11

An evaporator as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a distillate recirculation circuit including a pump and a heater.

Claim 12

A plant suitable for re-refining used oil, the plant comprising at least two cyclonic vacuum evaporators each provided with temperature and pressure control and each comprising a substantially void evaporation chamber into which, in use, feedstock is substantially tangentially injected, and each being provided with a spray condenser in communication with the evaporation chamber in which spray condenser a distillate may be collected, wherein the evaporators are linked together such that feedstock which has been processed in a first evaporator may be passed as feedstock to the at least one other evaporator for further processing.

Claim 13

A plant suitable for re-refining used oil, the plant comprising at least two cyclonic vacuum evaporators each provided with temperature and pressure control and each comprising a substantially void evaporation chamber into which, in use, feedstock is substantially tangentially injected, and each being provided with a spray condenser in communication with the evaporation chamber in which spray condenser a distillate may be collected, wherein the evaporators are linked together such that feedstock which has been processed in a first evaporator may be passed as feedstock to the at least one other evaporator for further processing.

Claim 14

A plant as claimed in claim 10, wherein each evaporator and its associated spray condenser comprises a modular unit mounted in a frame.

Claim 15

A cyclonic vacuum evaporator provided with a temperature and pressure control and comprising an evaporation chamber defining an interior space substantially void of baffles or other means to impart a cyclonic motion to the feedstock, means for injecting feedstock substantially tangentially into said evaporation chamber, and a spray condenser in communication with said evaporation chamber in which a distillate is obtained.

Claim 16

A cyclonic vacuum evaporator provided with a temperature and pressure control and comprising an evaporation chamber defining an interior space substantially void of baffles or other means to impart a cyclonic motion to the feedstock, means for injecting feedstock substantially tangentially into said evaporation chamber, and a spray condenser in communication with said evaporation chamber in which a distillate is obtained.